Fan attachment.



H. W. WALKER.

FAN ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED IAN.22.1914..

l y :l yg Patented Apr. 6, 1915` l @Wfwwz man stratus rarEnr onirica EoEeLrHUs w.

WALKER, or LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS, alssIGNon rTo ELIZABETH s.- waLEEn, or LAWRENCE, MAssAciHcsEcrTs.

Een Arreonmnr.

iastate,

To all whom t mayV concern.'

Awhereby liquid may be vaporized and carried by the air current produced by the fan. The nature of the liquid thus used to impregnate the aircurrent will be varied according to the requirements 4of the fan. For example, if the fan were located in an auditorium it would be desirable to use an odorament to overcome any unpleasant odor which Amight be present in the auditorium. rPhe device is also useful for moistening the atzmosphere,` andcould be used to advantage in a room such as-a spinning or weaving room where it is desirable to have the air more moist than normal.

The invention, therefore, contemplates -broadly the idea of using any liquid which is 'suiiiciently volatile to be absorbed by the air current produced by the fan, whether the purpose of the liquid is to meisten the air or tok impart an odor to the air.

0f the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one form and arrangement of my invention: Figure 1 represents a side elevation of. an electric fan of suitable wellkno'wn type 'adaptedfor the purpose. Fig. 2 represents a front elevation of the fan from the plane indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1, the fan guard being shown in vertical section and parts of the wicking being omitted in order to show more clearly the attachments which constitute my invention.

Fig. 3 represents a vcross section through the structure intersected by line 3-3 of Fig. 2. The 'same reference characters indicate the same parts wherever they occur.

My device comprises three main parts, all of which may be readily attached to the usual guard of an electric fan. These three main parts comprise a"reservoir 10 for the desired liquid, and wick-holders 11, 11.

The fan blades are indicated at 12, the motor therefor is indicated at 13, and the motor shaft on which the fan is fiXedis indicated at 14.-. rlhe guard, which is of wellknown structure, comprises two rings 15 and Specncation of Letters Patent.

rateatea apr. e, reis.

' Application mei January 22, 1914.'- sr'ial no. 813,693.

16 which are arranged respectively behind the fan blades and in front of the fan blades, said ringsv being firmly connected by suitable wire members 17 which are bent toward the axis of' the fan, as indicated at 18. rlhe fan guard 1s supported by brackets 19 which are aiixed to the motQr casing. The structure of 4the motor, fan and guard is all well lmown, and my purpose in illustrating and deserlbing the same is to show in what manner my device may be readily attached to the same and to show also in what relation my device is to be arranged.

The reservoir 10 is provided With suitable devices such as spring clips or hooks 20, 20, adapted to be hooked over the top of the ring 15 The Wick-holders 11, 11, are provided wlth spring clips or hooks 21 which are likewise adapted to be sprung over the ring 15. Each wick-holder is vof a substantially 'segmental form, and, as shown, is made of a single piece of wire. The wire is bent to form an open frame, and the ends of the wire', as shown, are twisted together, as indicated at 22, and arranged to engage the front side of the reservoir 10 to hold the reservoir in an upright position. The arrangement of the hooks 20 on the reservoir would cause' the reservoir to hang in an inclined position if some means were not provided for holdlng the reservoir in an upright position, andy the twisted ends 22 aford the most convenient means for this purpose.

Each wick holder has two series of loops, those of the one series being indicated at 23, and those of the other series at 24. These loops are provided for receiving a relatively long thin wick 25 which may be laced back and forth from one lseries of 'loops to the other. The arrangement of the loops permits a variety of arrangements of the laced wicking, but I have shown only one arrangement of lacing. In order to facilitate the lacing operation as much as possible, l prefer to offset the loops 24 from each other, as illustrated by Fig. 3, each alternate loop being oifset laterally in one direction and the intermediate loops being offset laterally in the opposite direction. This staggered arrangement results in causing the loops to project away from each other like spurs, and the wicking 25 may therefore be more easily looped over the offset portions.

I prefer to conduct the liquid from the reservoir by wicks 26 of relatively large diameter and capacity, and to employ a plurality for each wick-holder 1l in order to cary a suiiicient volume of liquid from the reservoir. The reservoir has holes 26I in its ends through which the wicks 26 are led, these holes being preferably shaped so as to be filled as nearly as possible by the wicks.

As I have vvshown onlyv two wicks 26 foreach wiclnholder 11, the holes are elongated; but

if three' wicks were used, the holes wouldpreferably be, triangular. I prefer to locate the wickholes at aconsiderable distance be-` low the\top of the reservoir and to ll the reservoir to a level above the holes so that the liquid will iow out through the holes by gravity aswell as by capi-llary action until the level has dropped to, the bottoms of the holes. This results in rapid saturation of the wicks throughout their length, and they are thereafter kept saturated by capillary action. A s shown by Fig. 3, the stretches of the wick 25 cross each other,

and the stretches of the wick 26 are kept apart by the stretches of the wick 25.`

vThe crossing of the wick 25 causes the stretches thereof to be held inv contact with the wick 26, with sufficient contacting area to enable the liquid to flow by capillary action from the feeding wick 26 to the smaller wick 25. The wicks are arrangedl at the rear of the fan blades. When the fan .is in' motion it draws a currentof air throughv the yspaces between the numerous stretches of wicks, and because'of the relatively great surface area of the wicks the liquid with which the wicks are saturated is evaporated at a relatively rapid rate and the vapor impregnates the air current and is thrown forward by the fan. In order to hold the wickholders in place, I provide two helical springs 27 which are arranged respectively above and below the fan shaft 14;. Each spring is hooked around the two wick-holders and tends to draw the wick-holders to- .ward each other, thereby keeping the spring hooks 2l firmly engaged with the ring 15 and also holding the wick-holders in a -substantially transverse plane.

All three of the main parts of the device may be readily attached and detached, and when itis necessary to renew or clean the wicks the same may be quickly accom-- plished. The vdevice is adapted to be sold separately and-is in such form that anyone ihaving a fan substantially like that illusy. trated may easily attach the device as shown.

I;cla1m:- 1.' The combination with a. guard ring of a rotary fan, of a reservoir having devices arranged to embrace the top portion of such ring to support said reservoir, a plurality of wick'holderseach having devices arranged to embrace such ring below said devices of said reservoir, means for connecting said wick holders to hold the latter in place, and wicking yarranged to conduct liquid from said reservoir to the path of air pro elled by such fan, the delivery portions o said wicking being supported by said wick holders.l v

f2. The combination with al guard rin of a rotaryfan, of a plurality of 'wick hol ers each .having hooks adapted to embrace suchring and each being detachable Aby vunhooking said hooks from said ring, said wick holders beingv arrangedl at -opposite sides of the center of said ring, one or more springs connecting saidf wickholders to keep said hooksforcibly against'said ring, a reservoir,

and wicking arranged.v to conduct -liquid from said reservoir to the path of air propelled by such fan, the delivery portions of such wicking being supported by said wick holders.

3. A device of the character described comprising an open holder having two series of lacing-engaging devices, a lacing member laced back and forth from said devices of one series to those of the other series, a reservoir, and wicking interlaced with said lac'- and extending into said reservoir to feed liquid therefrom. t

4. A device of the character described comprising an open holder having two series of wick-engaging devices, wicking engag-l ing and held by said devices and extending from said devices of one series to those of the other series, a reservoir, and wicking in- RODOLPHUS W. WALKER.

Witnesses:

W. P. ABELL, P. PEzzE'rTI.

i ing member between said series of devices the first-mentioned 

